San Diego Wildfires - Smoke And Ash Debris A Public Health...

San Diego Wildfires: Smoke and Ash Debris a Public Health Concern San Diego Wildfires The county of San Diego is a unique haven to hundreds of state and federally recognized endangered, threatened, or rare plant and animal species (The Nature Conservancy, n.d.). San Diego is also a territory with a long history of environmentally catastrophic wildfires. The Cedar and Witch Creek Fires are two of the most recent and notorious wildfires in California history for their degree of damage in terms of acreage burned and overall expense (The City of San Diego, n.d.). During and after these massive wildfire events is a significant public health concern related to respiratory health from the effects of smoke and ash debris. The challenges presented in mitigating and managing these health issues extends into county budget, public education, and cohesive multi-agency prevention and recovery efforts. Moreover, participatory efforts from the residents of San Diego County is key to the success of mitigating health risks presented by wildfire smoke and ash debris (Phillips, 2009, p. 420). Background The Cedar Fire (2003) was one of the largest and deadliest wildland fires in California history burning nearly 300,000 acres in San Diego County and killing 15, including 1 firefighter. A lost hiker accidently set this fire from survival methods attempted with a flare. It resulted in evacuations of thousands of San Diego residents and destroyed approximately 2400 homes (CALFIRE, 2016). The